


To the Moon

by Chelsea Frew (chelseafrew)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mpreg, Mpreg Harry, natural birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 15:22:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6429880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseafrew/pseuds/Chelsea%20Frew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>University students Harry and Louis have an arrangement--they are friends with benefits. When Harry accidentally becomes pregnant, however, they need to redefine their relationship. Do they want to keep things the way they are, or are they ready for something more?</p>
            </blockquote>





	To the Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [salutedeluxe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/salutedeluxe/gifts).



> Thanks so much to [salutedeluxe](http://archiveofourown.org/users/apeachybum/pseuds/salutedeluxe) for all the prompts. It was tough to choose! I ended up waffling between two of them for ages before settling on this one:
> 
> "HL are in uni and are friends with benefits (in love with each other, but too afraid to admit it) and Harry gets pregnant unexpectedly. He freaks out and doesn't know what to do, but then they get together and all is well."
> 
> I hope I managed to capture what you imagined with this prompt!
> 
> Thanks to the mods for creating this challenge. Mpreg Harry is one of my favourite things, so the idea of there being 40+ new stories to devour fills me with pure joy. I am happy I get to add one story into that mix.
> 
> Finally, my deepest thanks to my BFF CL for listening to me waffle about which prompt to choose and then beta'ing the story for me when it was done. Any mistakes left are mine and mine alone.
> 
> I hope everyone who reads this story enjoys it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. :-) On with the show....

Harry lined the five sticks up on the side of the bathroom sink, set the timer on his phone for two minutes, then turned away from all of it to hold his breath.

When the timer on his phone went off--the _beep beep beep beep_ had never sounded more ominous--he slowly turned around to survey the sticks. Two lines, a plus sign, two more lines, two lines in side by side circles and, the kicker, one which simply read "pregnant."

Harry felt faint. He sat down hard on the porcelain of the toilet, nearly missing it and tumbling onto the floor. With a palm over his chest, he forced himself to breathe. In and out, in and out, in and out. It didn't really help--he still felt like he was going to pass out.

How on Earth was he going to tell Louis?

Just imagining the conversation in his head made Harry feel nauseated. He dropped to his knees on the floor, lifted the lid of the toilet and lost every single thing he'd eaten that day; then he began to cry.

He allowed himself to stay on the floor for a few minutes before using his palms to wipe the tears from under his eyes and forcing himself up onto his feet to collect the tests one by one and wrap them in toilet paper. After rinsing the acid taste from his mouth, he walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, where he hid the tests at the bottom of his trash can. Niall wasn't the snooping kind, but better safe than sorry.

Harry went back into the bathroom and examined his face, looking for tell-tale signs that something was going on. His eyes were a little red-rimmed, but he splashed some cold water on his face, and he was pretty sure he could just pass himself off as exhausted. Which, to be fair, he was.

Once he'd checked that the bathroom was reasonably clean, Harry made his way to the front of the flat. Niall would be home at any minute, and if Harry wasn't behaving normally, Niall would sniff it out pretty instantly.

He turned on the telly, then collected one of his textbooks and settled down on the sofa. The words of his psychology textbook swam in front of his eyes, and his mind was racing a mile a minute, but when Niall breezed into the room, all he said was, "'sup, Haz?"

"Nothing," Harry responded, trying to keep his voice on an even keel. "Just trying to get some revising in. Big test tomorrow."

"Cool," Niall commented, giving Harry no more than a glance before trekking toward the kitchen. Niall could barely go twenty minutes without some form of sustenance.

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. His secret was safe--for now.

* * *

Harry knew he should go to a doctor to confirm that all those damned sticks were correct, but the longer he put that off, the longer he could tell himself that the tests were all wrong, and he wasn't pregnant with his sometime-bed-partner's baby. As a couple of days passed, he was finding it easier and easier to pretend that he had dreamed all those lines and pluses.

So, of course, because Harry was trying to ignore the situation, Niall had to invite Louis and Liam over for pizza and poker. Harry had forgotten it was Friday, time for their usual start-the-weekend-right routine.

Harry desperately wanted to lock himself in his room for the night, but that was not a viable option. If Niall thought Harry was sick, he would mother him. If Liam thought Harry was depressed, he would try to cheer him up. And if Louis thought Harry was avoiding him, he would pester Harry until he gave up what was going on. Harry was not prepared for any of those results, so he steeled himself and greeted Liam and Louis with beers.

They all sat down at the folding table Niall had scavenged from a nearby neighbourhood. One man's rubbish…. Liam had brought the pizza, and they set the boxes right in the middle of the table and grabbed two slices each to start.

Harry found himself working hard to avoid Louis' gaze, positive that Louis would somehow figure out just from looking at him that Harry was pregnant. He was absolutely not ready to share this information, not before he was sure he was, in fact, pregnant, and not before he had made a decision about what to do.

They were none of them finished with their first slice when Niall noticed Harry was drinking water.

"What's up, H? No beer?" Niall asked, his tone playful, thank goodness.

Thinking quick on his feet, Harry replied, "I think I may have caught that stomach bug that's been going around. Not sure beer would be the best medicine."

Niall accepted the explanation with an easy nod. Harry sighed with relief. When he did, he noticed Liam looking at him quizzically. Harry just shrugged and bit off more of his Hawaiian pizza slice. Liam gave up, but Harry knew he would need to be careful.

Once they'd demolished almost every slice of the three pizzas Liam had brought, they cleared the table of food and set up for poker.

Focusing turned out to be near impossible. After Harry's first error in judgement, his friends merely teased him. After his fourth, Liam inquired, "You okay there, Haz?"

It was all Harry could do not to blurt out his news. One look at Louis' face quelled him, however. He could picture the disappointment settling into Louis' features, and Harry was pretty sure he could not have handled that. So he just fell back on the excuse he'd made earlier, "Stomach's hurting a bit more. May have to go lay down."

Even if he had been suspicious earlier, Liam appeared to buy this explanation now, returning his attention to his hand.

Niall was dealing a new hand when Harry was suddenly overcome by nausea. It was almost as if his lies had manifested themselves into truth. He clapped a hand over his mouth and backed his chair up with a loud squeal on the ancient wooden floor. He didn't even waste time excusing himself, he just made a run for the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time expel the entire contents of his stomach. The pizza did not taste nearly as good coming back up as it had going down.

The nausea wasn't actually new. He'd had it--with the accompanying throwing up--several times in the last two weeks. It was actually what had driven him to go to Tesco and buy every kind of pregnancy test they had on offer. It didn't seem fair that it didn't seem to be that his morning sickness wasn't just limited to the morning.

"Hey, Harry, you okay?"

Harry groaned. It was Louis. The very last person he wanted to deal with when he was feeling so terribly awful; he was weak and afraid he would divulge his secret then and there. "Do I look like I'm okay?" He almost instantly regretted his tone, even if this was half Louis' fault. He apologised before Louis could say anything else. "I'm sorry. I feel like shit."

Louis leaned against the door jamb. "Did you eat something nasty?"

"Maybe." At some point he might have. It wasn't a complete lie.

"You poor thing," Louis sympathised. "Can I get you anything? Water? Soda?"

The mere thought of ingesting anything--solid or liquid--made him even more nauseated than he already was, so he shook his head violently. "No, thanks."

"I'll tell Li to deal you out," Louis offered. "Go lay down. I can come in for a cuddle later, if you like."

Despite how good Louis was at cuddling, it was, quite literally, the last thing on Earth Harry needed if he truly intended on not telling Louis anything too early. "That's okay. I don't want you to catch whatever I have. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Harry fought down a particularly nasty wave of nausea, then nodded. "Thanks, though, Lou."

Louis watched him carefully for a few long seconds; his scrutiny rendered Harry wildly uncomfortable, again worried that Louis might divine his secret just from looking at him. Using sheer will, Harry tore his gaze away from Louis' to take inventory of his recalcitrant body. That last wave of nausea seemed to have been the last hurrah of this particular instance of "morning" sickness. He gauged his ability to get up and decided to give it a go.

He was getting ready to brace his palms on the toilet seat when strong hands grabbed his underarms, helping him up. Louis' hands migrated to Harry's upper arms once Harry was upright. "All right there, H?"

Harry waited a moment to check. "Think so. For now."

Using the grip he had on Harry's arms, Louis guided Harry out of the bathroom and across the hall into his bedroom. Harry sank gratefully onto the bed, curling up into himself without wasting a moment.

Louis grabbed the duvet from where Harry had kicked it to the bottom of the bed and lifted it to cover Harry's body. Once Harry was all tucked in, Louis pressed a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead. "Feel better, H."

It took every ounce of self-preservation Harry had not to beg Louis to stay after all. He simply whispered his thanks and closed his eyes. Several seconds later, he heard Louis pad back out to the front of the flat.

Harry rested a hand on his stomach and wondered for the thousandth time since he'd found out he was pregnant exactly what he was going to do. And for what also felt like the thousandth time, he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Harry and Louis had met through their respective flatmates, Niall and Liam. Niall and Liam had met at a pub while watching a Manchester United match, and they'd hit it off. It wasn't long before they drew Harry and Louis in, and they became a tight quartet.

Louis was the school's star football player and a shameless flirt. Harry was a photography student, and Louis quickly became his favourite subject. They became fast friends, and shortly thereafter, they became friends with benefits.

Harry wasn't exactly sure how that had happened. One Friday night about a month after they'd started hanging out together, the foursome went to a local club both to let off some steam and to celebrate Louis' football team's latest victory.

A couple pints and several shots into their evening found Harry and Louis in a tiny bathroom stall, Louis giving Harry an absolutely mind-blowing blow job. An hour later, Harry returned the favour.

Harry and Niall went back to Liam and Louis' flat and crashed for the night, Niall on their couch, and Harry in Louis' bed. Harry and Louis had indulged in a couple of steamy hand jobs before passing out. Harry hadn't ever experienced anything quite like Louis, but didn't know what to expect moving forward.

As they walked to a nearby bakery for doughnuts the next morning, Louis expressed to Harry how busy he was between his classes and football. He had absolutely no time for a relationship. Harry insisted that he was equally as busy and in no position to make time for someone or something serious. They agreed, however, that they had both enjoyed being together, and neither saw any reason not to engage in a little casual sex now and again while they were both single.

Before long, they had established a pattern. Once or twice a week, often after getting together with Niall and Liam for drinks, they would go back to one of their flats and have sex, experimenting as they went along to find out what worked best for the both of them. They became the best of friends, but no more.

There had been moments, recently, when Harry realised he wanted more than just being friends with Louis, but he was terrified to voice these wishes. What if Louis didn't feel the same way and wanted to end things? He'd rather have Louis as a friend and nothing more than to risk losing him completely. Therefore, he ignored his growing feelings, said nothing, and maintained the status quo.

It had been six months since he and Louis had begun their arrangement when Harry ended up buying five pregnancy tests at the local Tesco, and a week after that, Harry knew he could no longer avoid going to see a doctor to get his condition confirmed.

He was continuing to experience nausea every day, and he was tired all the time. He was having trouble zipping up his skinny jeans, and all of a sudden, he had to pee all the time. Either he truly was pregnant or his body was suddenly and inexplicably out of whack.

He decided not to go to the clinic right on campus. There was too big a chance of running into someone he knew there. Harry did not need anyone else to know what might or might not be going on. Even if he did shrug it off as a cold or the flu, he hated the idea of lying to anyone.

Instead, he found a clinic right in downtown Manchester, making an appointment for himself for first thing on a Friday morning. He had zero desire to wait through another weekend to find out if he was, in fact, with child.

In a stroke of pure luck, the doctor was able to see him the minute he had all his paperwork done. The doctor's nurse took all his vitals, plus some blood and urine, and then the doctor came in and did her thing, going over his symptoms and asking awkward questions about his sexual history. By the time they were done with that, the nurses had done their thing, and there was no more doubt. Harry was pregnant. The scan the doctor did revealed that he was about two months along, leaving him four weeks--and four weeks only--to decide whether or not to keep the baby.

Harry left the clinic with a handful of brochures and pamphlets outlining all his choices and the things he would need to do if he decided he wanted to go through with the pregnancy. He skipped his Friday classes to go back to his flat to panic.

Directly upon arriving home, he set about preparing himself some herbal tea he kept on hand for when his mum came to visit--no more caffeine for him for the time being--and he paced the small kitchen while waiting for the water in the kettle to boil.

As he paced, he muttered to himself worriedly, arguing both for and against keeping the baby. "I'm too young for this. I have no money. I have three more years of school. But it's mine. Mine and Louis'. I love kids. I could do this. I could totally do this. I totally can't do this. Louis is going to kill me."

"Anything you'd like to share with the class, there, Harry?"

The sudden intrusion on his musings made him literally jump, and he looked up to find Niall leaning against the door-less doorway to the kitchen, a bemused smile on his face. "Shit!" Harry yelled, coinciding nicely with the whistle on the kettle.

As he got his heart rate under control, Harry moved to remove the kettle from the heated burner, only just remembering a cloth to protect his hand before his day got even worse. Once the kettle quieted down, he turned back to Niall. "What are you doing home?"

"I could ask you the same question," Niall countered with raised eyebrows. "My professor cancelled class. What's your excuse?"

Harry fish-mouthed for several seconds before coming up with nothing.

"I heard something about Louis and kids," Niall pushed Harry to give up whatever he was hiding.

Harry avoided Niall for a minute more by turning to pour the hot water from the kettle into the teapot he'd pulled out. He poured the water way more slowly than was absolutely necessary, and Niall grew impatient. "C'mon, Harry. What's going on?"

Harry hauled in a deep breath, then swivelled to face Niall once again. The second he looked into Niall's eyes, he knew he couldn't keep this secret from his best friend. "You can't tell anyone."

Niall nodded firmly. "Of course not. My lips are sealed."

Harry arched his own eyebrows and levelled Niall with a hard look. Niall had been known to have loose lips on occasion. "I'm serious. You can't tell a soul."

"I swear!" Niall insisted. "It'll be between just you and me."

"Okay then," Harry said. He sucked in another deep breath, then dropped the bomb. "I'm pregnant."

Niall's mouth dropped open in what would have been comical fashion had the subject at hand not been so serious. "You're what?"

Resting a hand on his stomach, Harry repeated, "Pregnant."

"There's a baby in there?" Niall pointed to Harry's belly.

Harry nodded. "There has been for two months now. I'm due in October."

"It's Louis'?" Niall's question might as well have been rhetorical, though. Harry and Louis' arrangement was not a big secret; it wasn't like either of them was particularly subtle.

"Yes," Harry confirmed nonetheless.

Niall paused for a moment of thought before inquiring, "Are you going to tell him?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even know if I should keep the baby. I mean, I want kids. I do. But this is not the best timing."

Niall shot him a sympathetic smile.

"Louis and I aren't even together," Harry went on. "He's made it very clear he means us to be casual." Regardless of how Harry felt about escalating their relationship to a level above casual, he knew that announcing his pregnancy to Louis would be skipping several levels all at once.

Niall was silent for another moment, then said, "Do you want my advice?"

Huffing out a breath, Harry begrudgingly accepted the idea of some help with a nod. "Sure."

"Tell him."

Harry sighed and pressed his palm to his stomach again. "What if he wants nothing to do with this?"

"Louis isn't an ass," Niall pointed out. "He'll step up."

Harry side-eyed him. "You seem awfully sure."

"He's a good guy," Niall argued. "He'll be shocked, I'm sure, but he won't abandon you."

Shoulders sagging, Harry said, "I hope you're right. I really do."

"There's only one way you're going to find out," Niall returned. "You have to tell him."

Harry hated to admit that Niall was making sense. He needed to tell Louis, and he needed to tell him soon. As much as he knew he didn't have a lot of time to make some pretty tough decisions, he also knew he couldn't make those decisions without Louis, even if it did fast-forward their relationship in a way Harry had not planned on just yet.

He nodded to let Niall know he understood what he had to do, then poured himself a cup of tea, stirring in just a touch of sugar to make the herbal taste more palatable. He sat down at the small corner table with his cup, taking slow, careful sips.

Niall left the room, only to return less than a minute later with Harry's mobile. He set it down meaningfully next to Harry's hand. "Text him," Niall urged. He left Harry's side, then, going to make his own--caffeinated--tea.

Harry sipped at his drink until the cup was half-empty before he gathered the courage to pick up his phone. He thumbed through his contacts until he came to Louis' listing, opening a new text message box.

Need to talk to you. Come by this afternoon? Harry drew in a deep breath and hit the send button.

Louis must have been on his mobile right then and there, because just seconds later, his reply appeared. Sure. Be there around 5.

Harry checked the time at the top of his screen. He had just over six hours to decide exactly how he was going to break this news to Louis. He'd need every, single second.

* * *

Harry skipped his Friday afternoon classes and used the time to imagine each and every one of Louis' possible reactions to his news. In some of Harry's mental scenarios, Louis was absolutely over the moon about the idea of having a baby. In others, Louis was furious, demanding that Harry get rid of the baby. In still other scenarios, Louis was just indifferent, leaving Harry to make all the decisions, but declaring that he wasn't going to be a part of any baby's life.

Harry wasn't sure which was the scariest option.

When Louis' arrival was imminent, Harry begged Niall to go down the pub to get a few drinks--Niall readily agreed and left straight away--then Harry changed into his favourite pair of jeans and a fuzzy sweater his mother had given him, making him feel warm and comfortable. Then he set about preparing yet another pot of tea or, rather, two. One Yorkshire, Louis' favourite, and one herbal for Harry. With the amount of tea Harry had taken in since getting back from the clinic, it was just as well his wasn't caffeinated. He'd be bouncing off the walls by this time.

Louis was ten minutes late--par for the course--and Harry had him pour himself a cuppa and then sit on the couch to talk.

Harry must have had quite the serious look on his face when he seated himself next to Louis, anxiously worrying the bottom of his sweater, because Louis was quick to inquire, "Is something wrong, H?"

Harry picked up his own cup of tea and took a few calming sips before putting his cup down and looking Louis straight in the eye. "You could say that," he allowed.

Shaking his head with confusion, Louis said, "What does that mean?"

Realising there was no way to break this kind of news gently, Harry hauled in a deep breath, ignored his racing heart, and just blurted it out. "I'm pregnant."

Louis' eyes practically bugged out of his head. "I'm sorry…. Did you just say you were…pregnant?"

Harry nodded.

"With a baby?" Louis confirmed, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"Yes," Harry answered carefully, unsure of Louis' mental state at this point.

" _Our_ baby?" Louis further clarified.

"Yes," Harry stated, adding a little steel to his tone. "It's yours."

"Are you sure?" Louis' tone was sceptical.

Harry gasped at Louis' audacity. Haughtily, he insisted, "Of course I'm sure."

Louis took a brief moment to process this information. Finally, he looked Harry square in the eye and asked, "How on Earth did you allow that to happen?"

Harry blinked wildly, unable to believe that Louis had had the nerve to ask such a thing. "Excuse me?" he squeaked, insulted beyond imagination. "I wasn't exactly the only one there."

"Hey!" Louis exclaimed haughtily. "I am _always_ careful. Always. You must have done something."

Harry began to see red. "Like what? What could I have done?"

Louis shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you rode me too hard and dislodged the condom. Maybe you pulled off too quickly and something leaked. For all I know, you wanted to get pregnant and you poked holes in all the condoms."

Almost of its own volition, Harry's jaw dropped. He could not believe what he was hearing. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well…." Louis stumbled over his words, then seemed to swiftly regain himself. "I certainly didn't make this happen."

Harry shot up off the couch and pointed toward the flat's front door. Pitching his voice low and narrowing his eyes, he commanded, "Get out."

Louis stayed right where he was, mouth moving, but speechless all the same. After a few very long seconds, he composed himself yet again and met Harry's gaze with steely eyes. "What?"

"Get out, Louis," Harry repeated. "Now. Go."

"What about…?" He waved toward Harry's stomach, which was roiling at present.

Harry brought his hand down to protectively cover his belly. "Well, since you seem to think this is somehow all my fault, I guess I'll take care of it without your help."

"Harry…." Louis' voice became plaintive, but it was way too little, way too late as far as Harry was concerned.

Harry pointed at the door once again and spoke with a little more force. "Get out!"

Louis opened his mouth, presumably to protest some more, but when Harry narrowed his eyes again and pursed his lips, Louis finally capitulated, standing up and walking reluctantly to the flat's entrance. Harry followed him and opened the door.

For the first time since they'd begun this whole frustrating conversation, Louis' face softened. "Harry, can't we…?" he began.

Harry shook his head violently. "No, Louis, we can't. Goodbye."

Louis hesitated one more moment, then his shoulders drooped, and he walked out of the flat. Harry couldn't keep himself from slamming the door behind Louis, making the whole floor of the flat shake.

For a second, Harry couldn't move. He just stood there, staring at the door and running through the conversation--more like argument, he guessed ruefully--in his head. That had gone so much worse than any scenario he had imagined during the course of the afternoon.

What was he going to do now?

Slowly, Harry wrapped his arms around his middle and shuffled back to the couch. Trying hard not to think about how, mere minutes earlier, Louis had been there, Harry grabbed the old quilt Niall's mum had given them and lay down, using the quilt like a cocoon. It wasn't long after that that the tears arrived.

That was where Niall found him a half-hour or so later, crying into the quilt over the mess his life had become.

"Jesus, Harry!" Niall exclaimed, piercing through the cocoon Harry had created for himself. "What happened?"

Harry worked through a couple more sobs before pulling in some deep breaths and struggling to sit up, carefully keeping the quilt tucked around him. "He thought it wasn't his," he reported softly.

"What?" Niall's voice was unnaturally high. He collapsed down next to Harry, reaching a comforting hand out to Harry's knee.

After another couple of sobs, Harry continued, "Then he accused me of purposely getting pregnant."

Niall shot up from the couch, making Harry jump. "I'll kill him."

Harry grabbed for Niall's wrist, urging him to sit back down. "Niall. It's okay. I can do this without him."

"You aren't alone," Niall vowed fiercely, this time reaching his hand out to Harry's forearm, squeezing it tightly through the quilt.

Tears starting to dry on his face, Harry turned to face Niall. "Thanks, Ni. You're the best."

Niall smiled. His face hardened quickly, though. "Can't believe that bastard accused you of sleeping around. How does he not realise you're in love with him?"

At Niall's words, Harry choked on air and coughed violently, throwing the quilt off. Niall immediately moved his hand to Harry's back, patting it with vigour. "Relax, Haz. Breathe."

It took Harry awhile, but eventually he regained his breath, only gasping occasionally.

"Are you okay?" Niall checked.

Harry nodded.

"What was that about?" Niall wanted to know, withdrawing his hand.

"How long have you known?" Harry asked his own question.

"Known what?"

"That I'm in love with Louis."

Niall had the nerve to laugh. To laugh! Harry shot him a wounded look.

When he stopped laughing, Niall explained, "I've known for a while. Everyone knows, Harry."

Putting his face in his hands, Harry made a wish for the floor to open up and swallow him. He felt Niall's hand return to his back, rubbing gentle circles this time. "It's okay, Harry."

Without removing his hands from his face, Harry shook his head. In a muffled voice, he declared, "It is not okay. How does everyone know? I thought I was being careful."

Niall snorted. "You, mate, are a terrible, terrible actor."

Harry puffed out a frustrated breath of air and looked up Niall. "Do you think Louis knows?"

With a prize eye roll, Niall answered, "I think Louis is the most oblivious person on the face of the planet."

"Well, he certainly doesn't feel the same way about me," Harry commented ruefully.

A curious look crossed Niall's visage, a look Harry couldn't quite place. "What?" he questioned Niall.

"I…," Niall started. After pausing briefly, eyes canted to the left as if considering his words, he tried again. "I am not sure you can make that assumption."

Harry narrowed his eyes at Niall. "What do you mean?"

"Well…. I think he's in love with you, too," Niall revealed. "He's just a better actor than you. No offense."

Harry slumped his shoulders and sighed. "I don't see how that can be true. Not the way he accused me of sleeping with someone else."

Niall shook his head. "He's just scared. Like you are. He'll come around."

"Do you really think so?"

"After I kick his arse for reacting the way he did, sure," Niall replied, his voice certain as could be.

"You don't need to do that," Harry told him.

Niall shrugged and quirked one side of his mouth. "Might be fun."

Harry chuckled despite himself, though he sobered quickly when he remembered the mess he was in. "What am I going to do, Ni?"

"Whatever seems right," Niall responded. His tone was calm now, but equally as sure. "And no matter what, I'm here for you. You have my word."

For perhaps the first time since the five sticks turned his life upside down, Harry felt calm inside, like everything might actually be okay. He smiled and pulled Niall into a hug. "Thanks," he whispered into Niall's ear.

"Anytime," Niall whispered back.

* * *

Harry slept fitfully in Niall's bed, not wanting to be all alone with his tumultuous thoughts. It helped to have someone nearby, especially someone as good at cuddling as Niall was.

By the time morning light found its way through the slats of the blinds in Niall's bedroom, Harry had made a decision.

Even if Louis wasn't on board, he was still going to keep this baby, this little piece of him and Louis. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea of either getting rid of the baby or having it, but then giving it to someone else. He knew it would be hard, but he would be ready by the time the baby came.

Though the pain remained from his argument with Louis, the stress about what to do was gone, so Harry felt just a little bit lighter. He slid out of bed cautiously so as not to wake Niall, then, after taking care of his business in the bathroom, went to make some breakfast. He owed Niall for all the moral support.

The smell of bacon frying woke Niall, and he padded into the kitchen sniffing. "Is that a fry-up I smell? I thought that was only for Sundays."

Harry turned the bacon over in the skillet before replying, "True, but I was in the mood, and I wanted to say thank you for all your help last night."

Niall made a vague sound which might have been disdain. "'Twas nothing."

Harry shook his head, grabbing a plate to shift the bacon onto. "It wasn't nothing."

Niall smiled and shuffled over to make himself a cup of coffee. When he was done making it milky sweet, Harry handed him a plate with eggs, bacon, beans, and tomato on it. Harry took up his own plate, and they sat down at their small kitchen table to eat.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Niall asked through a bite of fried egg. "Any better?"

Harry nodded, then elaborated. "I've made a decision."

Niall raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I'm keeping the baby." Harry immediately held his breath to await Niall's reaction.

"What about Louis?" Niall inquired carefully.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe you're right, and he'll come around, or maybe not, but either way, I'm keeping the baby."

Niall's grin came slowly, but surely. "I'm going to be an uncle."

Harry grinned back at him. "That you are."

They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before Niall posed another question. "So, what's next?"

"I think I'm going to go home for the rest of the weekend," Harry revealed. "I'm going to have to tell my mum sometime, and Gemma's home this weekend, too, so it seems like a good time to break the news, even if it is a little early to tell."

Niall's face adopted a lascivious look. "I have the flat to myself tonight?"

Harry chuckled at the sheer excitement in Niall's voice. "You do. Use the freedom wisely."

"Oh, trust me, I will," Niall vowed.

Harry didn't doubt him for a second.

* * *

Harry's mum and sister were baking biscuits when Harry quietly unlocked the front door, slipped out of his jacket and his trainers, and padded through the house and into the kitchen.

"Smells amazing!" he announced, causing Gemma to scream and Anne to very nearly drop the bowl she was mixing dough in.

"Harry!" Gemma recovered from her shock quickly and raced around the kitchen island to envelop her brother in a fierce hug.

As Anne wrapped Harry in her arms she declared, "This is a happy surprise." After she released him, she inquired, "To what do we owe this honour?"

"I can't just come home to spend time with my family?" Harry batted back a cheeky question of his own.

Anne grinned. "Of course you can. It's just that you've seemed to be way too busy on the weekend to come home to hang out with us. We haven't seen you since your birthday."

That much was true. Since he'd met Louis back in the fall and the two of them and Niall and Liam had begun to spend all their time together, the number of visits home had dwindled. "Well, then it's high time I'm home, yeah?"

"Absolutely!" His mum kissed his cheek soundly.

"Is Robin home?" Harry queried as he shrugged out of his jacket and settled it on the back of a chair.

"He had to work today. He should be home by dinner," Anne reported.

Harry looked over Gemma's head to the oven. "So, what kind of biscuits are we going to be having today?"

"Who said we're giving you any?" Gemma joked. Off his best sad face, Gemma heaved a mock sigh. "Fine. Chocolate chip peanut butter."

"Mmm. I approve." Harry appreciatively sniffed at the air. "Smells awesome."

"Well, sit, sit," Anne bade him, ushering him into a chair at the nearby kitchen table. "Would you like some tea?"

Harry shook his head. "Milk instead? To go with the biscuits?"

"One milk coming up," his mum announced.

Before long, Anne and Gemma had joined Harry at the table and they were all munching on warm, gooey biscuits.

"So, H, how are things going at school?" Gemma asked conversationally.

Harry opened his mouth to talk about his classes, maybe mention something about his friends, but instead, what came out was, "I'm pregnant."

Anne and Gemma gasped in unison as Harry clapped a hand over his mouth. He had meant to ease them into it, but he supposed he shouldn't be surprised he couldn't keep it in. It was all he could think about.

Anne recovered first and reached a hand over to cover Harry's other hand where it rested on the table. She spoke in a cautious tone. "Are you sure?"

Harry pulled his hand away from his face as he nodded. "Yes. Went to a clinic and they confirmed it. Baby's coming in October."

"I assume this wasn't something you planned…," Anne stated.

Harry shook his head this time. "No. Definitely unplanned."

"Who's the other father?" Gemma asked. The look on her face wasn't hard to interpret. She wanted to hurt whoever did this to her little brother.

Harry warred with himself for a moment. On the on hand, he wanted to be honest with his family. They didn't keep secrets. On the other hand, no matter how mad he was with Louis about his reaction to finding out Harry was pregnant, Harry didn't want to throw him under the bus. It wasn't like Louis had done this to him on purpose.

When he remembered how good Gemma was at weaselling information out of him, however, Harry sighed and came clean. "Louis. My friend Louis."

Gemma's sigh was scarily similar to Harry's. "You're sleeping with him?" She had met his little circle of friends--Louis, Liam, and Niall--a few times when she'd come up to Manchester to visit. Harry had very definitely introduced all the lads as friends, never revealing the arrangement he and Louis had. In light of this fact, his nod was sheepish.

Gemma rolled her eyes, dramatic as ever. "Weren't you careful?"

"Of course," Harry defensively replied. "I don't know what happened. Best I can figure, the condom must have ripped."

"Does he know?" Anne wondered aloud.

"I told him yesterday. He was not particularly interested in having anything to do with it," Harry shared the sad tale. And just like that…. Just thinking about Louis' reaction made him start to cry.

Anne immediately took him into her arms and held him tight while he cried it out. Again. He'd thought he'd cried his fill the night before, but apparently there was more. Gemma rubbed his back while he sobbed, and, if nothing else, at least he felt extra supported. He was so lucky to have such a great family.

Once he'd used up what felt like a year's worth of tears, he extricated himself from his mother's grasp and rubbed the heels of his hands under his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it."

Anne shook her head dismissively. "Absolutely understandable. This is life-changing news."

"And it certainly doesn't help that that prick Louis is being…well…a prick," Gemma pronounced hotly.

"Gemma," Anne warned, sending a stern glance in Harry's sister's direction.

"Well, he is," Gemma insisted.

They sat in silence for just a moment, each of them collecting themselves in their own way.

Anne was the first to break the quiet. Placing a soothing hand on Harry's thigh, she asked, "Have you decided what to do?"

Harry nodded. "I'm going to keep the baby." Protectively he covered his still-flat stomach with his hand. "I can't imagine getting rid of it."

"Are you sure?" Anne went on. "Have you really given this thought? It's a huge commitment, Harry."

"I know," he assured her. "I guess I'll just have to make it work."

"Well, you won't have to do it alone," Gemma jumped back into the conversation. "Even if that twat flaked, Mum, Robin, and I will help."

With a small smile on his face, Harry told her, "Thanks."

"I'm already excited to be an auntie," she confided with glee. Wickedly, she added, "And Mum! You're going to be a grandma!"

"Hush, you!" Anne ordered, though she did so playfully. Harry thought that even though she might have been shocked by his news, his mum was probably a little excited to be having a grandbaby.

For another short while, Anne, Gemma, and Harry sipped at their drinks and devoured a few more biscuits.

When the plate held just enough for Robin to have a treat when he got home, Anne turned to Harry and looked him up and down. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Not a lot," Harry confessed, unable to keep a yawn from escaping at the mere thought of closing his eyes and resting.

"Then you need to go take a nice, long nap," his mum suggested.

"That sounds lovely," Harry agreed, already standing. "I'll see you two in a little while."

"Sleep as long as you can, darling," Anne urged. "You won't be missing anything down here."

Harry bent down to kiss first Anne's cheek, then Gemma's. "I love you both." He got a little choked up, the sentiment seeming a little more weighted than usual.

"We love you, too, baby," Anne returned, grabbing for his hand and squeezing tightly.

Harry collected his bag from where he'd dropped it by the front door, then he climbed the stairs to the upper level of the house, heading for the third room on the right. This wasn't his childhood home, but his appointed bedroom still held all the furniture and some of the decorations he'd grown up with, so the room felt like it belonged to him.

He set the bag on top of his desk and toed off his shoes. He wasted no more time with preparation, simply climbing underneath the duvet still dressed in his traveling clothes and closing his eyes. Safe in his mother's house, his entire body relaxed for the first time since finding out he was pregnant, and he slept.

* * *

Harry got a solid three hours of sleep. When he got up and stretched his arms up over his head, afternoon sun was streaming through his bedroom window. He didn't bother putting on shoes to pad downstairs.

He found his mum and sister sitting in the family room watching what was probably a DVR'd episode of _The Great British Bake-Off_.

"Hey there, sunshine," Gemma greeted him with a grin. "I see you still take your naps very, very seriously."

"Hey, I am both pregnant and exhausted," Harry countered.

"Okay," Gemma relented. "Point taken."

"Come sit down, honey." Anne scooted over and patted the space left between her and Gemma. "I have a whole series of this, and we just got started."

Harry didn't need to be asked twice. He slid himself in between the two woman and got lost in the introductions of the _Bake-Off_ 's contestants.

Halfway through the episode, the front doorbell rang.

Anne frowned, pausing the show. "Were either of you expecting anyone?"

Harry and his sister shook their heads simultaneously before Gemma offered, "I'll get it."

With interest, Anne and Harry watched as Gemma opened the front door. They couldn't see who it was from their vantage point, but her words as she recognised their visitor clued them in quickly. "You prick," she growled, and that was all Harry needed to know who'd come to call.

The brusque voice that dismissed Gemma's insult cemented Harry's suspicion. "Is Harry here?"

"What makes you think he wants to talk to you?" Gemma countered, completely sliding into Big Sister Mode.

Harry sighed and pushed himself up off the couch. "It's okay, Gems. I'll talk to him."

Harry's first thought as he moved behind Gemma to look at his caller was that Louis looked exhausted. His second was to be glad. Louis had no right to be better rested than Harry was.

"Louis," Harry greeted him neutrally. "Let's step outside."

To his credit, Louis didn't argue that the early March air was cold; he simply nodded.

"I'm fine, Gemma," Harry assured her, slipping his feet into the trainers he'd left by the front door and shrugging on the jacket he'd left on the nearby coat rack.

His sister levelled one more glare at Louis before moving to the side to let Harry past her and out onto the front stoop. "I'll be just inside if you need me, H," Gemma reminded him.

After he acknowledged her support with a nod, she closed the front door, leaving Harry alone with Louis.

Harry couldn't believe that Louis was actually there. He'd sought Harry out, made an effort to come talk to him. It was hard to tamp down the joy he felt at the idea that perhaps Louis was going to be with him through this and was okay with the idea of having a baby. It was easier to tamp it down when he remembered Louis' initial reaction to Harry's news.

"Hi, Louis," Harry opened, aiming for casual, though he was pretty sure he missed the mark.

"Hi, Harry." He sounded nervous, which was not very Louis-like, but Harry figured Louis had plenty to be nervous about.

Harry had no desire to make this easy for Louis, so once the pleasantries were over, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Louis to explain why he'd shown up on Anne's doorstep.

Louis cleared his throat a couple times, then said, "I came to apologise."

Harry raised his eyebrows quizzically, needing a good bit more from Louis.

"I was a dick yesterday," Louis admitted, cheeks turning pink.

Was that really only the day before? It felt to Harry like a lifetime ago. "Yes," Harry readily agreed. "You were."

The blush on Louis' face grew a deeper shade of red. "I was just…surprised."

"You were _surprised_?" Harry scoffed.

"I…um…might have overreacted."

"Might have?" Harry's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Okay, I overreacted," Louis corrected hastily. "It's just…. You telling me you're pregnant was the last thing I expected."

"You think I expected to pass five pregnancy tests?"

"Five?" Louis repeated, his own eyebrows raised. "You took five tests?"

"Not the point, Lou," Harry told him darkly.

Louis shook his head. "Of course not."

"Louis, I told you I was pregnant, and after accusing me of sleeping around, you accused me of getting pregnant on purpose," Harry reminded him. "Why on Earth would I do that? I am in my first year of university. Now is not exactly the optimum time to have a baby."

"I know," Louis said sheepishly. "I'm so sorry."

"You should be," Harry declared.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Louis asked quietly.

Harry knew it was kind of petty, but he poured on a little extra guilt. "I had been hoping you would help me make that decision." He patted his stomach. "This is your baby, too."

Louis nodded. "I know."

"I'm keeping it," Harry reported. "I can't justify getting rid of it, and I know once I have it, I won't be able to give it away."

"You're sure?" Louis checked, shoving his gloved hands into his jeans pockets. "Babies are a lot of work."

Harry nodded. "I wanted children someday. This is just a little…earlier than I planned."

"Yeah." Louis seemed at a loss for what else to say. He paused for a moment of thought. "When's the baby due?"

"October."

"A Halloween baby," Louis commented absently.

"Maybe."

They fell silent, then. Harry wondered what Louis was thinking. Was he getting used to the idea of having a baby? Did he want to be a part of the baby's life? Was he busy being sorry he'd ever met Harry?

It was not long before Harry knew exactly what Louis was thinking. "You said you wouldn't be able to give the baby away."

Harry shook his head and reiterated, "I just couldn't."

"Even though it's mine?" Louis checked.

Harry couldn't help but smile just a little. "Especially because it's yours."

Louis' face became a mask of confusion.

"Niall told me you probably hadn't figured it out, even though, apparently, everyone else has," Harry lamented.

"Figured what out?"

"That I'm in love with you." Harry drew in a deep breath and held it. He hadn't a clue how Louis would react to this information.

"You are?" Louis questioned, as if he hadn't heard Harry correctly.

Harry let out his breath, shrugged, and nodded. "I am. Have been for a long time, if I'm honest."

A smile bloomed on Louis' face for the first time during this conversation. "Well, that's very good news."

"It is?" It was Harry's turn to be confused.

"It is," Louis confirmed. "Because I happen to be in love with you, too."

"You are?" Harry repeated Louis' incredulous query of just a minute earlier. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Louis felt the same way Harry did! It was like his every dream come true.

Louis' smile grew even wider. "I am."

Louis took a step toward Harry, and that was all Harry needed to step toward Louis, bending just the smallest amount so their lips could crash together.

It was not their first kiss, not by a long shot. It was, however, the first kiss they shared that had passion behind it, not lust. Feeling, not hunger. Electricity, not urgency.

Louis allowed Harry's tongue entry to his mouth without hesitation. Louis tasted of coffee and cigarettes. He only indulged in that combination when he was anxious about something.

Harry removed his lips from Louis' long enough to ask, "Were you nervous about coming to see me?"

Louis nodded, breathing heavily. "I didn't even know if you'd see me after the way I acted yesterday."

"I'm glad you came anyway," Harry told him.

"You are talking way too much." Louis reached a hand around to the back of Harry's mouth and pulled him in for another kiss.

Little shocks raced up and down Harry's spine as his lips met Louis' over and over and over, both of them trying to make up for lost time, now that their kisses meant something.

When they finally needed air, they parted, albeit reluctantly.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Louis smiled at Harry once again. "So…. We're having a baby?"

Harry smiled back at Louis, reaching out for Louis' hand. He placed Louis' palm over his stomach, even if it was still flat and Louis wouldn't feel anything. "We're having a baby."

"I can't wait," Louis confessed.

They were the sweetest three words Harry had heard in a very long time.

* * *

The whispers woke Harry up. "I can't wait to meet you, little one. We are going to have a grand time. Your daddy will teach you how to be kind, take photos, and how to bake, and I will teach you how to play football."

Harry cracked his eyes open. In the pale morning light, he could easily make out Louis hovering over his exposed nine-month bump, his lips right near Harry's protruding belly button.

The baby gave a little kick at the sound of Louis' voice. "The tiny one definitely likes the football part," Harry whispered, smiling.

Louis tilted his head to meet Harry's gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Harry shook his head. "It's okay."

Louis shifted his body so he could sidle up next to Harry and offer a good morning kiss before softly saying, "Hi."

"Hi," Harry returned softly. Even after six months, he still loved waking up next to Louis in their shared bed. They'd made a cosy home together in the two-bedroom flat, one bedroom for them, one for their baby. As a bonus, the flat was close to both campus and a day care, so they would be able to continue attending classes and going to work. Harry could not have been happier.

Resting a hand on Harry's rounded belly, Louis pondered, "Do you suppose the little one will make an appearance today?" They had decided not to find out if they were having a boy or a girl, wanting it to be a surprise, but the wait was an exquisite agony.

"I wouldn't complain," Harry replied, reaching a hand down to his stomach, his thumb touching Louis'. "It is Saturday, so no work and no classes. And believe me, I am more than ready to be done going to the bathroom a million times a day and being as big as a whale."

"You look amazing," Louis countered, caressing a small circle onto Harry's belly, causing the baby to kick at Louis once more. Louis grinned. "The baby agrees."

Harry snorted. "The baby is inside me. It doesn't know how big I am."

"You are growing a tiny human," Louis reminded him. "And you look so great doing it."

"Thank you, Lou," Harry said, giving him a small smile while reaching out to pull Louis in for a kiss.

It was not long before the kiss morphed from chaste and sweet to hot and dirty. Louis' tongue invaded Harry's mouth, and Harry didn't fight it. He swirled his tongue around Louis', tasting the tea Louis had sipped right before bed.

Louis eventually left Harry's mouth to trail kisses down Harry's throat and down to his collarbones. "So beautiful," Louis rasped.

A thought suddenly occurred to Harry. "You know what they say can get labour started?"

Louis stopped his ministrations at Harry's shoulder and met Harry's gaze. "What?"

"Sex."

"Do they?" Louis said. "Is that a theory you'd be interested in trying out?"

Harry gave a small nod, his dick already twitching at the idea. "Anything to get this little one out. Besides, you're kinda hot."

Louis chuckled and pressed a kiss to Harry's shoulder before lifting himself up to retrieve a tube of lubricant from the stash in his bedside table. A condom was not really necessary at this point, given Harry's condition.

"How would you like to do this?" Louis asked, kneeling a little away from Harry. "On your side? On your knees?"

Harry took a moment to consider Louis' question. Finally, he said, "Let's try my knees."

Louis nodded. "Works for me." He pushed their duvet down to the end of the bed, then helped Harry to get up on his hands and knees, belly hanging heavy between those. "Here," he added, collecting a few of the pillows from the head of the bed and situating one under Harry's stomach and two in such a way that Harry could rest his arms on them, leaning his head down to rest on his forearms so he wasn't taking on any of his weight.

"That good?" Louis checked.

"Mmhm," Harry confirmed. "Will this work for you?"

"Absolutely."

Harry heard the _snick_ that said Louis was opening the lube to spread some on his fingers. Sure enough, seconds later Louis' finger was circling his hole. Slowly, Louis pushed that finger inside, a little bit at a time. The intrusion was a welcome one, and Harry was easily able to relax and let Louis open him up, moaning with deep pleasure as Louis caressed his insides.

By the time Louis had slipped in a second and, finally, a third finger, Harry was writhing. His cock was rigid, rock hard where it lay on his thigh, and it jumped each time Louis' fingers found Harry's prostate. "Now, Louis," Harry commanded. "Or I'll come before you can get in."

Louis took him at his word. He pulled his fingers out, slicked up his dick, and lined himself up with Harry's entrance. He offered no preamble, but began easing himself in. With Harry pushing back, driving Louis further and further in, Louis was fully sheathed in no time at all. He allowed Harry a moment or two to adjust to Louis' girth, then began to move in and out at a steady rhythm.

Louis kept it slow and easy at first, but Harry soon demanded, "Faster." Louis was happy to oblige and speeded up his pace, panting with the exertion.

"I'm close, Lou," Harry warned, overcome with the multitude of sensations he was experiencing. Louis inside him, his belly beneath him, his erection throbbing.

Louis reached around to wrap his arms around the swell of Harry's stomach, using the leverage to lift Harry up so he was more or less seated on Louis' cock. This also allowed Louis access to Harry's erection. He left one arm around Harry's middle and used the other to grab Harry's length. He pumped once, twice, and that was all it took for Harry to moan deeply and come all over Louis' hand.

The audible evidence of Harry's ecstasy combined with Harry clenching around Louis' dick caused Louis' orgasm to hit hard and fast, and he came while still buried deep inside Harry.

Louis held onto Harry's bump as they both came down from their highs, and then he gently slipped out of Harry's hole and helped Harry to move off Louis' thighs and back onto his side.

No sooner had Harry gotten into a comfortable position, Louis spooning him from behind, than he felt a gush of fluid from between his legs. He gasped.

"What?" Louis asked, instantly concerned.

"I think my water just broke," Harry informed him.

"Are you serious?" Louis squeaked.

"Deadly," Harry assured him, pulling himself out of Louis' grasp and up into a seated position at the edge of the bed. He put one hand on top of his bump and one underneath. He forced himself to breathe deeply and steadily.

Louis hopped out of bed and scrambled for some clothes. "I didn't really think that would work."

Harry snorted. In between deep breaths, he noted, "Well, it did. Perfectly."

Louis yanked on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt from a nearby pile of dirty laundry. No one would care that he wasn't wearing fresh clothes. "We should get you to hospital, yeah?"

Harry was not quite as panicked as Louis appeared to be. All the same, he agreed with Louis' assessment, and he nodded. "Yeah."

With an assist from Louis, Harry was soon clad in a pair of joggers and a t-shirt. Louis collected the hospital bag that a prepared Harry had packed two weeks prior, then they were on their way to the campus hospital for the event they'd both been waiting for.

* * *

Almost immediately upon entering the hospital, Harry was examined and declared to definitely be in labour. In fact, of the ten centimetres he needed to be dilated to deliver the baby, he was already at four.

"Is this your first baby?" the obstetrician--Dr. Newsome--asked as her nurse--Helen--set up a foetal monitor around Harry's belly.

"Yes," Harry confirmed, wiggling to try to get into a comfortable position. It wasn't really working. 

"Well, you're progressing quite quickly for a first time," Dr. Newsome commented. "Helen will be around to keep an eye on the foetal monitor, and I'll be back in a bit to check on how you're doing."

"Is there anything we need to do while we wait?" Louis inquired.

"Just try to breathe and remain calm," the doctor suggested. "Buzz the nurses' desk if anything seems out of the ordinary or if you want to get up and walk around. Walking can often speed up labour."

"Okay," Louis said with a nod.

Once the doctor was gone, Louis turned all of his attention to Harry. He grabbed Harry's hand, squeezing it to gently offer support. "How're you doing?"

Harry was opening his mouth to answer when a shooting pain laced through his lower spine and into his stomach. He hissed and tried to breathe through it. He had experienced mild cramps in the car on the way to hospital, but those where a breeze compared to this. This was pain like he'd never felt before. When the pain blessedly subsided, he exclaimed, "Fuck!"

"Contraction?" Louis checked.

Harry nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "I knew they were coming, but…."

"Should I get the nurse?" Louis wanted to know.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing they can do."

"You sure you don't want drugs?"

"No drugs," Harry insisted. They'd discussed this before, but Harry had decided not to have any drugs during labour and delivery. He was young and strong, and he didn't want to do anything which might affect the baby in any way.

"Okay," Louis said sceptically.

"You can time the contractions, though," Harry told him.

"Absolutely," Louis agreed, clearly thrilled to have something to do. He pulled out his mobile and opened up a note, recording the time that this first big contraction occurred. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Some water?" Harry requested. "Please."

Spotting a pitcher and some glasses across the room, Louis quickly had the means for hydration in Harry's hand.

After taking a couple of sips, Harry said, "Thanks. And thanks for being here."

"No place I'd rather be," Louis assured him.

The contractions grew closer and closer over the next three hours. By that time, Louis had phoned both Harry's mum and his own, as well as Gemma, Liam, and Niall. The five had set up camp in a nearby waiting room and came in and out of Harry's room to check in and keep him company. Harry loved having everyone there, but there were moments he wanted it to just be him and Louis.

Everyone was in the room when Dr. Newsome came in to examine Harry and declared that he had reached ten centimetres, and it was time to deliver the baby.

It was understood that Louis would be staying for the birth, but Harry also invited his mum to stay; she ecstatically accepted. The others were banished to a waiting room, though Anne promised to let them know when anything significant happened.

Once Jay, Gemma, Liam, and Niall left, Helen and another nurse called Fiona helped get Harry ready to deliver. The first order of business was to get him to scoot down in the bed enough to get his feet into stirrups; Anne got pillows stacked behind his back. Once he was as comfortable as he was going to be, Louis took up a position to Harry's left, and Anne settled herself to Harry's right.

Dr. Newsome sat on a stool at the end of the bed. "Okay, Harry. Ready?"

All of a sudden, Harry wasn't. He wasn't ready for the pain of pushing a small human out of his body. Nor was he ready to be a father. He was nineteen, for Christ's sake. He should only have to be worrying about classes and exams, not taking care of an infant.

"Harry?" Louis questioned worriedly when Harry didn't answer the doctor.

"I can't do this," Harry explained, looking deep into Louis' eyes, begging him to do something, anything, to change the situation.

"Yes, you can," Louis countered. "I know you can."

Harry shook his head, tears streaming down his face. Perhaps he wasn't getting his point across. "I can't have a baby. I'm not ready."

Louis smiled gently at him. "Well, love, your body says otherwise. Ready or not, baby's coming."

A sharp pain attacked Harry at just that moment, and Harry gasped at the pain, his hand squeezing Louis' until both their knuckles were white.

"You can do this, Haz," Louis assured him. "I have faith in you."

"Push, Harry," Dr. Newsome commanded.

Harry recognised that his not being ready meant nothing. Their baby wanted out. He hauled in a deep breath, thrust his chin into his chest, and bore down as hard as he could.

"That's great, Harry," the doctor encouraged him. "Give yourself a second to rest. When the next contraction comes, push with all you've got."

Harry leaned back into the pillows behind him, but he did not have very long to rest at all. Another wave of pain overcame him less than a minute later. He shouted in reaction to the sharp contraction, then struggled up to push again, willing their little one out.

As he pushed over and over and over, he was able to feel the baby slowly work its way through the birth canal. Louis gave him continual praise and support, one hand still holding Harry's, the other on Harry's back, a constant source of comfort as he strained his body to give birth. Anne kept a cool cloth handy to wipe his sweating brow.

On one particularly hard push, a pain lanced through Harry's opening so fierce it made every contraction he'd suffered pale in comparison; he could not help but scream at the sensation. They probably heard him all up and down the ward.

"The baby's head is crowning," the doctor announced. No wonder it felt like he was on fire.

When the pain subsided, Dr. Newsome told him, "Push gently now, Harry, and I'll guide the head out. Would you like to watch?"

Harry looked up at Louis, meeting his gaze and raising his eyebrows in question. They then nodded simultaneously.

The doctor gestured at Helen, and seconds later, a mirror was attached to the arm of one stirrup, and Harry and Louis got their first look at their baby. A cap of dark hair just peeked out from Harry's opening. Harry and Louis both reached down to touch their little one for the first time.

When the next contraction came, Harry heeded the doctor's advice and pushed as gently as he could, despite the urge to push hard and just get the baby out as quickly as possible.

The pain was intense with each push as the baby's head stretched Harry's opening to its limit, but before he knew it, the head popped out, bringing a small amount of relief.

"Hold on one moment," the doctor said. Fiona stepped in, then, to clear the baby's mouth and nose. When she was done, Dr. Newsome twisted the baby's head just a little to put it in a good birthing position, then she told Harry, "A couple more big pushes and you'll have your baby."

Harry felt energized by having delivered the baby's head, so when the next contraction came, he was able to haul in a deep breath before bearing down as hard as he could.

Anne had stayed mostly silent during the birth, but at this point she said, "You've almost got it, sweetheart."

It took three more pushes, but finally, the baby's shoulders slipped out, and the rest of the baby followed in a rush of fluid. A wail pierced the air as the newborn got its first taste of the outside world.

"It's a boy!" Dr. Newsome announced over the crying, guiding the baby through Harry's legs and up onto his chest. Fiona immediately covered the baby with a small white blanket. The small boy squirmed around very briefly, but soon settled down at Harry's touch.

Harry began to weep at the sheer bliss of finally holding his baby in his arms. So great was his elation that he didn't even notice the post-birth ministrations of the doctor and nurses. 

"Hi there, little one," Harry softly greeted the little boy, bending to press a kiss to the top of the baby's head. "We're so happy you're here." He paused for a moment, then directed, "Look at him, Louis." The directive was unnecessary. Louis' gaze was already locked on their tiny son.

"He's amazing," Louis whispered, stretching a hand out to gently caress the baby's back. "You're amazing, going through all that to give us this."

"He's beautiful," Anne stated, smiling down at her grandchild. "You did a fantastic job, Harry."

Harry smiled at the compliment.

Louis was invited to cut the umbilical cord, which he happily did. He was finally able, then, to hold the baby for the first time. Harry couldn't help but grin at the sight. His beautiful boys.

Harry, Louis, and Anne were given a little more time to coo over the baby, then Fiona told them she needed to take the infant for a cleaning and a few tests. With reluctance, Harry handed him over. He was assured his son would be back in his arms before he knew it.

* * *

Harry and the baby were both cleaned up, and Louis was taking another turn at holding his son when Jay, Gemma, Liam, and Niall were ushered into Harry's room by Anne.

Jay was first to Louis' side, and she smiled as she got her first glimpse of her grandson. She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to contain her joy. She removed her hand some seconds later to say, "He's gorgeous!"

Louis beamed up at her. "He is, isn't he?"

Gemma, Liam, and Niall all jockeyed for position, each of them trying to get a good look at their nephew. Louis passed the baby back to Harry, making it easier for everyone to see. Besides, Harry was getting anxious to have his baby back in his arms.

"He's beautiful, H," Gemma declared.

"You missed out on having a Halloween baby by two days," Niall added to the conversation. "I guess that's good, since he's not at all scary looking."

"Does he have a name?" Liam inquired, peering over Niall's shoulder at Harry and the baby.

Harry and Louis exchanged a look. Louis nodded to let Harry know that he agreed to go with the boy names they'd discussed. Harry reported, "He does. Jacob William Tomlinson-Styles."

"A wonderful name for a wonderful boy," Anne approved.

Jacob was passed around from person to person for a short while, each of them enthralled with the tiny boy, who slept sweetly almost the entire time. When it became clear that Harry was completely exhausted, Louis gently suggested that everyone come back for another visit the following day.

Once everyone was gone, one of the floor nurses brought a bottle for Jacob, and Harry fed him while Louis fondly looked on.

"You know," Harry said quietly. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was a little freaked out. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what you'd say. But now…."

"Now…?" Louis urged him to complete his thought.

"Now I'm incredibly happy that I got pregnant," Harry revealed.

"Not that I don't totally agree, because I do," Louis told him sincerely, "but why?"

"Because before he was conceived, I thought I would never have the courage to tell you I was in love with you," Harry confessed. "But because he was coming, I had to, and, thankfully, you felt the same way. Now I have it all. You and this sweet, sweet boy. We're going to make this work, yeah?"

"Yeah." Louis stood up so he could lean over to give Harry a kiss. "We're going to make this work. I love you so much. You and Jacob."

"We love you, too. To the moon."

"And back?"

Harry smiled widely, more content than he'd ever been in his life. "And back."

End (12 March 2016)


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